When a Cold Switches Your Migraine On or Off

Have you ever noticed that a cold makes your migraine worse or strangely seems to make it disappear?

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores what illness may reveal about your own migraine pattern, from changes in the immune and nervous systems to shifts in sleep, routine, and medication.

You’ll learn:

💡 Why a cold can trigger migraine in one person but seem to switch it off in another

💡 What changes when you are sick and which of those changes may matter for migraine

💡 How to investigate unusual migraine patterns instead of dismissing them

Sometimes, the strangest change in your migraine is also the clue worth paying attention to.

🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday

🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

• The Role of Cytokines in Migraine: A Systematic Review (Thuraiaiyah et al., 2022): This review examines evidence linking inflammatory cytokines with migraine. Read more here.
• Distinct Inflammatory Profiles Across Migraine States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Stuchfield-Denby et al., 2025): This review compares inflammatory markers across different migraine states. Read more here.
• Cytokines in Primary Headache Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Musubire et al., 2023): This analysis examines cytokine differences in migraine and other primary headaches. Read more here.
• Immunological Mechanisms of Sickness Behavior in Viral Infection (Krapić et al., 2021): This review explains how immune signaling produces fatigue, sleepiness, and other sickness behaviors during infection. Read more here.
• Twenty Years of Research on Cytokine-Induced Sickness Behavior (Dantzer & Kelley, 2007): This review describes how inflammatory cytokines signal the brain to produce sickness behavior. Read more here.
• Dural Immune Cells, CGRP, and Migraine (Balcziak & Russo, 2022): This review explores interactions between CGRP, immune cells in the dura, and migraine mechanisms. Read more here
• CGRP: The Immune System’s Double Agent — Context-Dependent Roles in Inflammation, Resolution and Cancer (Assas, 2026): This review examines CGRP’s contrasting pro- and anti-inflammatory immune effects. Read more here.
• Cytokine Storm Divergence in Viral Infections of the Upper Respiratory Tract (Chen et al., 2026): This review compares cytokine responses across respiratory viral infections. Read more here.
• Aberrations in Peripheral Inflammatory Cytokine Levels in Migraine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Geng et al., 2022): This analysis found higher levels of several inflammatory markers in people with migraine. Read more here.
• Migraine and Autonomic Dysfunction: Which Is the Horse and Which Is the Jockey? (Miglis, 2018): This review examines sympathetic and parasympathetic dysfunction in migraine. Read more here.
• Association Between Raynaud’s Phenomenon and Migraine in a Random Population of Hospital Employees (O’Keeffe et al., 1993): This study found migraine was more common among people with Raynaud’s phenomenon. Read more here.
• Kranools. “I Never Get a Migraine When I’m Sick With a Cold. There Must Be Some Way to Take Advantage of This.” Reddit, r/migraine: This patient anecdote describes migraine disappearing temporarily during a cold. Read more here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.